An entire six months passed after that night, making it one whole year since the night of the attack on Manehattan by the Dark Flames of Heaven. One whole year since Eagle lost his mother and sister. One whole year since the Dark Flames gave him a reason to truly go after them. And, just about one whole year since the rise of the Assassin. Eagle had truly changed since then.

Eagle hadn’t lost all of the joy in his life. He had Rainbow Dash and Sharp Side, and that was more than enough for him. His relationship with his father, however, was turning into nothing short of a war zone. Every time the two spoke to each other, they argued. Even the simplest things had the two stallions at each other’s throats.

Everything was made worse by the fact that Fire Streak was the Master of the Dark Flames of Heaven. Through more investigation by Eagle Eye and Sharp Side, they confirmed that Fire Streak was in fact the Master. Yet, even with this knowledge, Eagle just couldn’t bring himself to kill his father. He was the only family Eagle had left, even if he was a worthless piece of shit. Eagle told himself that one night that his father’s time hadn’t come yet. Eagle wasn’t ready to kill Fire Streak just yet.

But, nonetheless, Eagle Eye kept up his routine of being the Assassin. And all the while, he kept his relationship with Rainbow Dash alive and healthy. In fact, over the course of six months, their bond had grown much stronger. Eagle would visit Rainbow much more often, and vice versa. Most visits consisted of the two just hanging out, amongst… other, fun activities. They had only been together for about one year, yet they already were considering to truly start a family. And that was even with Eagle being the Assassin. Eagle had promised Rainbow that once everything with the Dark Flames was done, he would stop being the Assassin, and that was a promise he intended to keep to the note.

Along with all of this, Eagle had finally moved out of his home. He couldn’t stand being with his father any longer, so he decided to get his own apartment. He actually managed to get himself the penthouse-esque apartment of a 24 story building. It was once a penthouse, but was now just a rather large apartment. For Eagle, buying the apartment was the hard part. Paying the rent for it was simple. Even though he didn’t have an actual job, the money he looted from his targets was more than enough to pay the rent.

The apartment clearly used to be a penthouse, but had been seriously toned down. It had the feeling of that kind of apartment, and Eagle liked that. It was more than enough space for him. He had asked Rainbow Dash to move in with him, but she was pretty set on staying in Cloudsdale. She wanted to be close with her friends as well, and Eagle understood that. But, he and Sharp Side had actually planned something out for a large chunk of the apartment. Nothing was set in stone just yet, but the idea was definitely a good one, and it could definitely happen in good time.

To add on to all of that, Eagle Eye, or rather the Assassin, had received a number of huge upgrades. For starters, Sharp Side had managed to create an alloy that was as hard as steel, yet it would form around the wearers body. And, the metal was as light as a feather. So, Eagle’s torso was completely covered by this lightweight and durable armor, and it was completely covered by his robes. The only armor that showed was the chest plate. The chest plate was made of the same material, but it had an amazing eagle design on it. What made the armor even cooler was its metallic silver coloring. It was the armor of a true killer.

This armor could also be applied to Eagle’s tail. No longer did he wear the clumsy chainmail. Sharp Side made a set of armor specifically for Eagle’s tail. It really just looked like Eagle had a silver tail. This allowed Eagle to use his tail even more effectively as a weapon, making it light to swing, and a hard hitter.

Eagle’s bracers had also received a similar upgrade. They were made of the same armoring as well, and they also had eagle designs on them. On Eagle’s forelegs, his hookblades would attach to the bracers. His hindlegs also had these bracers, but of course, no blades. Eagle and Sharp had actually considered that, but decided against it.

But, out of all the upgrades, Eagle’s new and improved wing blades were by far the greatest upgrade of them all. Really, you might not even be able to call them wing blades. Sharp Side had managed to create a serum for Eagle to drink. Running just about every test he could, Sharp Side finally made a formula for “built in” wing blades. The serum allowed Eagle’s own wings to become as sharp and sturdy as the strongest blade you could find in Equestria. At first, Eagle thought Sharp Side was joking, but when he drank the serum and figured out it was true, Eagle couldn’t stop thanking Sharp Side.

All Eagle had to do to make turn his wings into blades was to focus a bit of energy on his wings for a moment. With a quick and simple stretch, Eagle’s wings could turn into full-fledged wing blades. The serum caused every feather to attach to the main tendon of Eagle’s wings, and caused those feathers to sharpen up. Even the tendon and bone structures of Eagle’s wings became sharp.

These wing blades had even more mobility than Eagle’s old ones, and these, of course, didn’t at all hinder his mobility. Turning his wings back into normal wings was just as easy as turning them into blades. All Eagle had to do was simply apply another surge of energy to his wings and relax them. It worked to perfection, literally. Sharp Side made sure that the serum wouldn’t have any negative effects on Eagle or his health. Sharp Side tested the serum for one whole month before giving it to Eagle. And when the time came, Eagle was granted with a beautiful new pair of weapons.

But, aside from all of that, from the upgrades to the apartment, and from Eagle’s relationship with Rainbow Dash to his relationship with his father, a lot of shit had changed in six months. And of course, Eagle’s hunt for the Dark Flames’ main operating base was still at large. Even in those six months, Eagle could barely pick up any leads. Anything that came up turned out to be a dead end. Eagle would find a member of the Dark Flames, try to interrogate him, but would never get anything. It was becoming increasingly frustrating.

So, to try to keep their minds off of it, Eagle Eye and Sharp Side kept themselves busy with other missions for Eagle to complete, such as hunting down crime bosses or hostile gangs. Of course, even with all of his heroic deeds, the Manehattan Guard still treated the Assassin like a criminal and a vigilante. It was getting on Eagle’s nerves so much that it almost brought him to killing an officer that tried to pursue him one night. But, Eagle knew that if he did that, the city as a whole would treat him as a criminal. So, he put up with it.

On this particular night, the Assassin had targeted a newly created mare cult, known as the Blood Sisters. They had been around for about two months now, but Eagle and Sharp Side never had the time to deal with them. This little cult, in the time span of only two months, had managed to bloodily murder over 100 ponies, stallion or mare. It didn’t matter to these blood-thirsty murderers. They were just out for blood, literally. Wherever these mares struck, they would leave their mark in blood. The corpses of their victims would be sucked dry of their blood. The authorities didn’t know what to make of it. All they knew was that these mares were addicted to drinking the blood of other ponies.

Eagle Eye and Sharp Side had considered the possibility of vamponies, but they quickly ruled that out on account of how stupid it sounded. Along with that, Eagle managed to kill one of the cult members one night while returning from a mission. Through her, he managed to find out the location of their hideout and who their leader was. She was a mare, like the rest of the Blood Sisters, by the name of True Blood. This mare in particular was rumored to drink nothing but blood, and on occasion, dine of the flesh of other ponies. Just hearing all of this, even if it wasn’t true, sickened Eagle Eye and his brainy friend. It had to be stopped.

Eagle flew through the night sky of Manehattan, en route for the hideout of the Blood Sisters. With all of his new upgrades and gear in toll, and Sharp Side monitoring and backing up him up from the garage, Eagle had every intention to silence these mares. He had never had to deal with a group of murderers that were all mares, but at least it was something to spice up all the killing that Eagle did. He would have shown remorse for what he was going to do if not for the fact of how sickening these mares were. And that’s saying something, considering Eagle Eye’s main focus throughout one entire year was the Dark Flames of Heaven.

Eagle landed atop a rooftop, just about one mile away from the hideout. He gave himself a quick look-over to make sure he had everything he would need. More recently, Sharp Side had upgraded Eagle’s mask to form completely around his neck as well. The mask was hardly a mask anymore, and was becoming more of a very cool helmet. But, for posterity’s sake, they kept it as a mask. Eagle would definitely need this upgrade. Every victim of the Blood Sisters was said to have had their throat slit open. And the gashes were big. Very, very big.

“You ready to put down a group of blood-crazed mares my friend?” Sharp Side asked his friend.

“Damn right. It’ll be interesting to see how these mares fair against me.”

“Are you expecting a challenge?”

“Eh, kind of. But honestly, I’ve put down gangs of nothing but stallions larger than this little cult, and those stallions had guns. These mares seem to use nothing but knives and the like,” Eagle said.

“I know I’ve already asked, but are you sure you’re alright with killing all of these mares. Keep in mind, they are mares, not stallions,” Sharp Side asked.

“Like I said before, I would’ve probably felt bad about this if these mares weren’t so disgustingly brutal with their victims. I have no sympathy for them. If they want blood, then that’s what I’ll give them,” Eagle answered. It was an answer that was good enough for Sharp Side. He nodded to himself and watched as Eagle set back off for the hideout.

In a matter of a few minutes, Eagle was hovering above the hideout of the Blood Sisters. It was a mansion on the outskirts of the city. It was a nice looking place, perfect for a cult such as the Blood Sisters. Eagle Eye descended onto the highest structure of the mansion, perching himself precariously above the rest of the building. Just as he landed, two of the Blood Sisters walked outside. At that same moment, a small carriage arrived in the front of the mansion. Out from it stepped four other mares. The two mares that had walked out from the mansion placed down a small cloth mat for a fifth mare to step onto.

“That’s True Blood,” Sharp Side informed Eagle. The Unicorn mare looked much more malevolent than the other mares, and her blood red coat and mane helped make her looked quite formidable. Even her eyes were blood red, much like Eagle’s when he wanted them to be. She wore a crimson red dress that seemed to blend perfectly with the rest of her body. All of the mares down below headed back inside the mansion, leaving the Assassin to figure out a way inside.

“Sharp Side, find me a way in.” Sharp Side began to scan over the mansion. He managed to find several entrances, but all of them would lead to Eagle being discovered. The safest route for Eagle turned out to be through a shack in the back that led into the basement of the mansion. Sharp Side informed his friend of the shack’s location. Eagle turned to look at it and spotted two Blood Sisters on patrol.

“They’re all yours. My scans show no others in the area,” Sharp Side informed. With that, Eagle dove off from his perch and headed for the unsuspecting mares. They turned too late to stop Eagle from plunging his hidden blades through their throats. He could hear their feminine moans as they began to die. Hearing them like that cause Eagle to feel a small bit of regret. But nothing too much. As the mares took their final breaths, Eagle removed his blades from their throats and entered the shack.

Finding his way around, he found a hatch that led to a tunnel. The tunnel led straight to the basement of the mansion. Eagle started to walk through the tunnel, when suddenly, torches along the wall started to light up. But, the lights came from the opposite direction that Eagle was walking. At the end of the tunnel, Eagle could see one mare walking towards him. He quickly got to the ground and drew the Avenger. Eagle shouldered his rifle and took aim on the mare’s skull. As the torch lights lit up around Eagle, he pulled back on the handle to fire off a round, a silenced round at that. The Avenger had been perfected recently for both silence and lethality, now including a sharp bayonet on the end of the barrel. Now, the rifle barely made a sound upon being fired.

The bullet passed straight through the mare’s skull, leaving a hole in her head. She fell to the floor as blood began to drip from the hole. Eagle got up, threw his rifle over his back, and continued through the tunnel. He gave the limp corpse a shove as he passed by it. As Eagle arrived at the hatch that presumably opened into the basement of the mansion, the torches behind him began to die out.

Eagle opened the hatch and found himself in the mansion’s basement. Doing a quick scan, he found that it was empty. That was, until the door that led to the main floor of the mansion opened, revealing two more mares. Eagle quickly hid in the abundant shadows of the basement, concealing himself from the mares. They both passed by him without so much as looking back. They opened the hatch to the tunnel and entered. They were in for a surprise, both when they entered, and when they came back out. Eagle positioned himself behind the hatch and waited. As the mares came back up from the tunnel in a hurry, their throats were penetrated by Eagle’s hidden blades. He pulled his blades out and left them to die.

Heading up to the main floor of the mansion, Eagle now found that the space was mostly lit. He needed to be stealthy here, or he would be found. If that happened, he’d have every Blood Sister on him in an instant. Eagle quickly moved into what he presumed to be the dining hall. He was making his way to what Sharp Side informed him to be the master bedroom. As Eagle moved through the dining hall, he ducked under the large table as five mares entered. He stayed quiet as they passed and headed into the main living room. Eagle quickly got back up and headed one floor up.

On his way up, he saw three more mares pass by, but they didn’t notice him. He silently flew up behind them. Landing, he sharpened his wings into wing blades and sliced down two of them. The third turned around just in time to meet Eagle’s hidden blade. Eagle kept moving though, leaving the three mares where they lie. Sharp Side led Eagle through the mansion to the master bedroom. Eagle entered the room to find it empty.

Inside was a mirror that could be used by five ponies at once, a door that led to a master bathroom, chests upon chests that were most likely filled with bits, three dressers, two closets, and many other things that Eagle expected to find in the master bedroom of a mare. But, what caught Eagle’s attention the most were the multiple vials of blood that were spread across the room. Some of them were empty, with nothing but drops left. And even more to his surprise were the few plates that had pieces of pony flesh on them. It almost made Eagle vomit. Almost.

Eagle started to walk around the room, taking in every bit of the disgustingness that it contained.

“What kind of creature would do this?” he asked Sharp Side.

“A sick one, that much is true,” Sharp Side responded. “Any signs of True Blood?”

“No. She hasn’t come up here yet. But, her bed does have a curtain around it. I’ll wait there until she comes in.” Eagle did just that. He went onto the bed, hiding behind the curtain that went around the entire length of the bed. He sat there, ready to strike in an instant.

After about twenty minutes of waiting, the door to the room slowly opened. Eagle managed to peek through the curtain to see that it was True Blood. She was followed by two other mares, who she quickly dismissed. One of the mares closed the door behind her, leaving True Blood alone in her bedroom. Or at least, so she thought.

True Blood looked at herself in her mirror. She picked up a comb with her magic and ran it through her mane. She then levitated a vial of blood over to her, uncorked it, and drank the contents of the bottle entirely. She threw the bottle aside with her magic and let out a satisfied “ah.”

“Delicious,” she said, sounding completely satisfied with her drink. Hearing her voice managed to send a slight chill down Eagle’s spine. Her voice was a little haunting to listen to. She sounded so vile. But after all, she was vile. After a moment, she surrounded herself in a magical aura. Eagle didn’t know what she was doing, but he had to assume it wasn’t good. But now, he had seen enough. He readied himself to strike.

“Come to kill me at last, Assassin?” True Blood spoke. Hearing her say that surprised Eagle entirely. She used her magic to remove the curtain, leaving Eagle in complete sight of True Blood. She turned around to face him. “Come now darling, you couldn’t have thought that I didn’t see the bodies littering my abode.”

“Maybe not my finest work, but nonetheless, I get the job done,” Eagle responded. “And I’m sorry to say that you will share the same fate as you little cultists.”

“Oh, isn’t that cute. You truly believe you can kill me. Do you know why we drink blood, Assassin?” True Blood asked.

“The question has been boggling my mind for some time now, but I don’t very much care. It’s a sick practice, just as much as eating pony flesh.”

“Oh please, flesh just adds on to the amazing taste. You should try it some time,” True Blood said, letting out an evil giggle.

“Enough of your games! You die now!” With that, Eagle lunged towards her, his wings sharpened and ready to kill. But, just as he was about to strike her down, she pulled out a dagger from behind her and blocked his attack. She pushed Eagle back, and the two were now in a standoff.

“Oh how I will enjoy dining on your flesh and drinking your blood. I expect great things from you,” she mocked. Eagle remained silent, focusing on any move she made. This helped him out, as she tried to strike her dagger down on him. She went for a swipe at his throat, but Eagle didn’t even need to block it. His mask handled it pretty well. True Blood looked in surprise.

“I’m sorry, were you expecting me to actually get hurt by that,” Eagle mocked, lunging forward with his wing blades. True Blood ducked under one swipe, but she wasn’t quick enough to stop Eagle from slicing her right leg open. Her leg now had a huge gash in it, and she was bleeding heavily onto the floor.

“No! Not now!” she cried out. She didn’t even look at Eagle as she dropped to the floor and started to lick up the blood. Eagle watched the little scene before him. It was sickening. As Eagle was about to finish her off though, she bucked him with all her might against the wall. Eagle regained himself just in time to dodge her dagger. He grabbed her by the head and slammed it into the wall. Eagle then took the dagger in his hoof and drove it through her chest. Her body fell limp, and Eagle dropped her to the floor.

“Your desire for blood will earn you no pity,” Eagle started. He knelt down by the dying mare as she took her final breath. But, just as he was about to utter his iconic “Requiescat in pace,” True Blood’s eyes lit up. Then, she suddenly used her magic to grip Eagle by the throat. She lifted him up, all the while getting back to her own hooves. As she stood tall, she let out an evil laugh. She forcefully threw Eagle into the mirror, shattering it to pieces. Eagle was left with shards of glass across his body.

True Blood didn’t stop there. She lunged towards Eagle, but he was quick enough to get out of the way. As they once again stood in a standoff, Eagle noticed that her eyes were glowing now.

“What are you?” Eagle asked.

“I am simply a mare who has found the secret of immortality!” True Blood spoke.

“That’s why you drink blood.”

“Of course you fool. But, drinking blood and eating flesh isn’t enough. The spell you saw me use is the key. Using it allows me to turn the blood and flesh that I consume into life essence. Through that, it revitalizes me, and grants me immortality.” But, as True Blood stood ready to fight, Eagle noticed that she seemed to be panting lightly.

“Yeah, but something tells me that your little spell hasn’t been completed,” Eagle said.

“The process takes years to take full effect, but I have all the time in the world. Nopony can stop me! Not even you! The Blood Sisters shall live forever!” With that, True Blood teleported out of Eagle’s vision. She reappeared behind him, but Eagle was quick enough to catch her attack. He pushed the blade aside and drove both of his hidden blades through True Blood’s chest. She let out a quick cry of pain, but she didn’t stop. Eagle had to finish this.

“Requiescat in pace you monster,” he said. He drove his wing blades through her skull, immediately silencing her. Her body once again fell to the ground, limp and lifeless. Just to make sure, Eagle pulled out his rifle, drove the bayonet through True Blood’s skull, and shot one round.

“What a bitch,” Sharp Side said to Eagle. Eagle couldn’t help but laugh, as he pulled out the bayonet. But, just as he was about to throw the rifle over his back, three mares entered the room. They stood ready to battle, with daggers in their mouths. They attacked Eagle, but he managed to slice two of them across their chests with his bayonet. The third almost hit him, but he managed to stop her attack. Eagle used the stock of his rifle to hit the mare in the head twice, then slapped the bayonet onto her neck. With all his might, Eagle pulled the blade across her throat, slicing it open. The mares were left to die just like that.

With his targets now dead, Eagle had two more objectives to complete. First off, Eagle headed over to the chests that he spotted earlier. He opened them up to find pouches upon pouches of bits.

“Jackpot,” he called to his Sharp Side.

“Nice! That should help us out with our plan for your apartment,” Sharp Side responded. Eagle put about twenty pouches of bits into his own pouches. Judging by the weight, there was a lot of money in those pouches.

“Damn right it should. Now then, onto our other matter of business.”

“Right. You’ve got those charges right?” Sharp Side asked.

“Do I have the charges you ask. Of course I have the charges. I just need to go around the mansion and place them. And, you’re sure that the ones I’ve placed around the property on other nights are still there?” Eagle asked. This wasn’t actually his first visit to the mansion. He had made a few other trips to carefully place explosives around the property.

“Yep, all the charges are in place. You just gotta set up the charges inside the mansion,” Sharp Side confirmed.

“No problem.” With that, Eagle headed to the door. But, something on the body of True Blood caught his attention. He noticed a hint of purple on the inside on her dress. Eagle went over to her body and moved her dress around to find out what it was.

Pinned to True Blood’s dress was the insignia of the Dark Flames of Heaven.

“Is that…” Sharp Side started.

“Yeah… it is…” Eagle responded. “This bitch was with the Dark Flames. Damnit! She could have known something!” Eagle slammed his fist on the floor in anger.

“Hey, hey, not all hope is lost. Search the room for a… a note, something, I don’t know,” Sharp Side said to his angered friend. Eagle began to do just that. He started searching around the room, but found nothing. He then looked back to True Blood. He now noticed that there was a small pouch on True Blood’s body. He started to search through it, and managed to find a note.

Miss True Blood,

I understand that you and your cult are in need of some assistance. I can assure you, the Dark Flames of Heaven are more than willing to support your cause. Our efforts as of late are being hindered on account of the Assassin. Your cult would certainly slow him down in pursuing us. As long as you continue to work in Manehattan as you have, we shall supply you with whatever you need to commit your… deeds. Meet me on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest so we may discuss these terms further.

Eagle lowered the letter and thought over what he had read.

“If my father wanted to meet her on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, that might be a place to look for the headquarters of the Dark Flames. We’ll have to act on this as soon as we can,” Eagle thought to himself.

“Hey, Eagle, you there?” Sharp Side called.

“Y-Yeah, I’m good. I’ll go get those charges set.” With that, Eagle got up and headed through the mansion to set up the charges. He dispatched any Blood Sisters that got in his way. When he was finished, he exited through the front door of the mansion.

“Are all the remaining Blood Sisters in the mansion? There aren’t any out in the city right?” Eagle asked.

“No, they’re all in there. I’ve been scanning the city for any mares that were affiliated with the Blood Sisters. Nothing came up. They’re all in there,” Sharp Side answered.

“Good. Level the place.” As Eagle uttered the order, Sharp Side set off all the charges set up around the mansion. Eagle turned around when nothing happened.

“What the buck man?” he called to Sharp Side. Then, he heard an explosion coming from behind the mansion. Then, one explosion went off inside the mansion. Eagle smiled to himself. He turned and walked away from the mansion as the rest of the charges went off.

Eagle then took off for Sharp Side’s home. The fly took Eagle about 45 minutes. When he arrived, Sharp Side greeted him with a concerned look.

“What are you thinking Eagle?” Sharp Side asked.

“I’m thinking we may actually have a lead on the Dark Flames of Heaven. If my father wanted to meet True Blood on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, that must mean that the headquarters for the Dark Flames is in the Forest,” Eagle answered.

“Eagle, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the base is in the Forest. I’ve done a few scans of that Forest, and nothing has ever come up. Nothing but trees and a few ruins of old castles,” Sharp Side responded.

“Well, you’ve only scanned the Forest. You never actually went in there. I’m going into the Forest, and I’m going to find that base,” Eagle said, with a great deal of determination in his voice.

“Well, if you say so man. I just hope you don’t get yourself killed by… well, whatever the buck lives in that forest.” Eagle nodded to himself as he and Sharp Side shared a hoof bump. After that, Eagle set off for his apartment. He didn’t know when, but he was going to be paying a visit to Ponyville. Soon.

Author's Notes:

Wow, what a time jump huh? Yeah, sorry if most of this chapter is explanations. But hey, you can't expect Eagle to just have the same stuff for six months. Even if some of that stuff is farfetched, it's still cool. And honestly, who wouldn't want wings that can turn into blades. Oh, and just for the record, his wings stay white. They don't turn into literal swords. They just become as sharp as swords. I'm sure you all get the point. And I hope you all got a little sick by reading about all the stuff in that master bedroom, cause I got a little sick just writing it.

And for those of you that might be thinking this, no, the title of the chapter is not a reference to Earth, Wind, and Fire.

So yeah, I hope you all enjoyed this fun chapter. Next up... well, I'm not telling.